Otis Origins
by WhatAmI88
Summary: How Otis came into the Firefly family. Explores a little bit of his past. Trigger warning for abuse scenes.
1. Chapter 1

Cutter wandered out to the front of his store at the sound of the dinging bell. The man standing in the parlor was tall and very thin, pale as the moon with long hair and strange red eyes. He wore a dingey white tank top under an open button-down flannel with a baseball cap. His jeans were torn and worn, and his boots were dusty. Cutter could tell he was a local.

"Help you?" He leaned over the counter.

The man came a bit closer to him, limping slightly. "Ah...Listen, I been wanderin' around an-"

"Got your nose where it don't belong, boy. I'll bet you anything."

A sidelong glance, Otis bit his tongue at the reply he wanted to give. "Well...y'see, ah...I'm looking for work here, and ah..."

"Boy, I told you-"

"I'll do anything you need to. I can fix just about anything needs fixin'." He looked around the shop. "You 'specially attached to these? I can make 'em better."

"You some kinda wanderin' artist or somethin'?"

"Mm. You could say that."

Spaulding was intrigued. "Alright. I'll give you odd jobs here n' there. You stick around the shop during the day and do anything needs done, you hear?"

He man nodded. "Yeah. You goin' to pay me?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure, boy. I'll give you what I can, alright?"

The man nodded. "Jus' tryin' to make a livin'."

Spaulding scoffed. "Yeah, I hear that." He sighed. "What's your name, boy?"

"Otis. Otis Driftwood."

Spaulding laughed. "Like the goddamn Marx character?!" He hesitated as the boy's eyes narrowed. "Ah, not like much surprises me anymore, anyway. You start now?"

Otis nodded. "Yeah. I can."

Days went by, Spaulding began to enjoy Otis's presence. He was a quiet man, but intelligent. He didn't say much until he was spoken to, and even then it was like pulling teeth. Otis's limp got worse as the days went on, and Cutter noticed that he always had a long-sleeved shirt on, even on the hotter days. He also noticed a sour stench coming from the man, like an infected wound.

Otis developed a cough, hacking his way around the parlor and doubling over every once in a while. He seemed extremely lethargic and run-down. His face was even more gaunt, having a grey cast to it. "Boy, you alright?" Otis stared blankly at the front of the store, unmoving.

"Mm? Yeah. M'fine." He went about his work, coughing and hacking.

The next day, Otis didn't show up to work. Cutter had made him write down his address for him in case he had needed anything, specifically for this reason. He had known the boy wasn't doing well, but he was stubborn and wouldn't ask for any help.

He parked in front of the small flat building Otis had told him he was living in. It looked like an abandoned building, and knowing the boy, it probably was. "Apartment 6..." He climbed the stairs in the building, searching. When he finally reached the door, he knocked. "Driftey, you in there?" He listened for a moment, then kicked the door in. Otis was lying in the middle of the floor in the living room, sprawled out. Cutter guessed he had tried to make it to work and his body had given up on him. "Otis. Otis, you hear me?" He kneeled beside him. "Jesus christ boy, don't tell me you're fuckin' dead..." He lightly slapped Otis's face a few times, eventually making him open his eyes. Otis looked at him, a low, raspy groan escaping him. "Come on, boy. You're comin' with me." Cutter picked Otis up off of the floor, making sure his head was supported with one large hand before he slid the other under his legs and picked him up.

Otis screamed internally. He was terrified. where was Cutter taking him? What would he do to him? _Please, please don't hurt me...I've had enough of that in my life already...please... I don't want to be hurt anymore..._ He slipped into darkness as Cutter placed him in his truck.

He heard Cutter cursing at him as he came to once again. "Don't you fuckin' die on me mother fucker don't you do it. Eve'll keelhaul my ass for not takin' you in sooner. Don't you fuckin die, you skinny little white fucker."

The truck came to an abrupt stop, and Cutter got out and ran into the house. Within minutes, Otis felt hands on him again. He tried to struggle, desperately. His body wouldn't move. He couldn't even open his eyes anymore. "Easy, buddy. Easy. It's all alright now. Don't you fret none." Otis couldn't help the whimper that passed his lips. "I know you're hurtin'. Don't you worry none, we'll take good care of ya."

Otis felt himself being laid on a bed. He tried with all his strength to struggle. Being laid on a bed was never a positive thing in his experience. He still couldn't make his body move. He smelled something sweet suddenly, and felt the bed move with someone's weight on it. He felt them pulling him into their lap. Terror rose in his gut. He was defenseless. What if she would start beating him? There was nothing he could do.

"Oh, Sweetie...You're okay baby...Just relax. You're gonna be okay." A sweet, feminine voice. He felt her stroke his face, so gentle and kind. He couldn't even flinch away.

"I don't know what made him so sick...He's been bad a few days but not this bad." Cutter's voice.

"The poor thing...He looks so scared...He's absolutely petrified...What's makin' him so scared, John?" She continued to stroke his face, mothering, sweet.

He sighed. "Probably is scared beyond his wits. You come into a strange house all sick and hurt like he is...I've only known him a little bit, but...the kid's pretty fucked up."

"John!" She scolded. It made Otis's heart leap in his chest.

"I got it out of him one day he got all fuckin' weird when I raised my hand to him. Wasn't actually gonna hit him, just jokin' around. He got scared to shit, about pissed himself. His parents abused him pretty bad, I guess."

"Ohh, you poor baby..." She pulled him higher on her body and kissed his forehead and cheek, stroking his hair. "Jesus christ, you're burning up baby boy...Hand me the cloth John. We'll try and get him a little more stable till Daddy gets up here to take care of him."

Otis's mind whirled. Any time he heard the word 'daddy' it was horrible. A chill ran up his spine. He was soon distracted by the cool sensation of the cloth on his face. He wasn't sure what it was, but it felt good to him. He felt a blanket be laid on top of him. He couldn't stop a moan from crossing his lips.

"Shhhh, sweetie. You're okay." Otis felt his body relax slightly, as he drifted into darkness once more.

Hugo finally made it up the stairs, medicine bag in tow. "Good lord, Eve. This kid is a mess...I can smell the infection from here."

"I know...He looks like he's dead..." Otis's head was cradled in the crook of her arm. His breaths were shallow and weak, raspy.

"I'll try my best, but I don't know if we can save him, Eve..." He shook his head. Tears welled up in Eve's eyes. Hugo cut Otis's clothes off, exposing the shoddy, yellowing bandages on his left bicep and right thigh. "Sweet mother in heaven...He's got sepsis, Eve. I don't now how he made it this long. It's bad..." He cleaned out the wounds, re-wrapping them. "This poor sonofabitch...He's so dehydrated I don't know if I can get an IV in..."

Otis awoke again, feeling a cool sensation in the crook of his arm. He moaned softly, only reaching Eve's ears. He drew in a sharp breath when the IV needle slipped into his arm.

"Ahhh, shit. You might have to hold him down. He's not movin' much, but it's enough to make it hard right now." Otis felt the needle stab him three more times. "Okay. I'm in. Thank good god. Let's get some fluids and antibiotics into this boy."

"OOhh, the poor baby didn't like you stickin' him like that..." He felt her kissing his head again. "Just relax now, baby. We'll get you all fixed up, no problem. You're gonna be okay."

Otis felt a sense of weightlessness as warmth washed over him. He let himself fall into the clutches of sleep once more.


	2. Chapter 2

The little boy sat forlornly in the stiff wooden stool his mother had pinned him in, crudely chopping his hair.

"Piece of shit. Fucking freak. FREAK." She screeched at him. "You deserve this. Do you know why?" The little boy sat wordless, eyes to the ground. She roughly grabbed his face, squeezing his cheeks between her fingers and thumb. "I SAID do you know WHY!?"

"Because I'm a devil child, Mommy."

"And?!"

"You should've aborted me...I ain't been worth nothin' to you my whole life." The boy peered up at her, tears brimming on his eyes. The words hurt, even if he hadn't been told anything else his entire life.

"That's right. You're a fucking FREAK! You see this?! You SEE this?!" She held out his shorn hair for him to see. "You should look like me! Like your dad! But you don't. You're a FREAK!" She slapped him hard across the face. "You're the son of SATAN!" She glared down at him. "Go. Get yourself ready before your daddy comes home. He's gonna have a real good night tonight. You piece of shit fucking freak." She kicked the stool out from under him, sending him toppling to the floor. He picked himself up and fled to his room, slamming the door behind him.

He sat and drew in his little notebook he had stolen from the store, dreaming about the life the wished he had. He wished his mother didn't hit him. He wished his father didn't do the unspeakable things that he did to him. He wished their friends didn't do the same while they sat and laughed and laughed. He wished he could be someone else. Anyone else. He wished they had given him a name so that he could change it, and be whoever he wanted to be.

In his fantasy world, sometimes he was Otis B. Driftwood. He had never seen any of the pictures themselves, but he could read well enough about them in the magazines and papers his parents left lying around.

He felt something cool and moist on his forehead, stroking down his cheek. He tried to lift his head, to no avail. He felt like lead, every part of his body was heavy.

"Mama! Mama! I think he's comin' to!"

"Oh, sweetie, leave him alone. He needs to rest."

"I know! I just want him to feel safe. Daddy said he's real skittish. Like a springtime fawn."

He heard a sweet laugh. "And you think hoverin' over him's gonna do that?"

"...I want him to feel loved. Probably never been loved before in his life..."

Otis forced his eyes open, groaning with the effort. While his vision was blurry still, he could see the outline of two blonde women.

"Well hey there, honeydew!" She finally came into focus. Beautiful blonde curls cascading beside her gorgeous face. She looked like a baby doll dressed as an angel. She was sitting in a chair beside the bed, stroking his arm gently. "Mama! Look at his eyes!"

Another woman came into focus. She was older, and slightly less attractive, but still good-looking. She smiled sweetly at him. "Hello, sweetheart. Yes, Vera. His eyes are red. He's an albino. See how pale he is? That's not just because he's so sick."

"You look like you seen a ghost, mister!" The girl named Vera giggled. "That's okay. You're just unique! Ain't nothin' wrong with that."

Otis broke into a coughing fit again. He was barely strong enough to cause the convulsions. Panicked, he gasped for air. "Shh, easy, easy...You just relax now, baby. It'll all be alright." The older woman stroked his hair out of his face. He tried to flinch, but he couldn't make himself move. The older woman noticed his eyes squint shut in response to her touch. "Aw sweetie we ain't gonna hit you. You're alright. You're safe with us."

"You're real sick, mister." Vera chimed in. "Grampa said you coulda died. We weren't sure if you'd make it through the night."

Otis simply looked at her, still wary of the whole situation. He wasn't as fearful as before. The women seemed genuine in their statements, and their actions weren't contrary.

"You just rest now, sweet boy." The older woman cooed. "You'll be alright." She pulled the blanket higher on his chest. "You just let us know if you need anything. It'll all be alright, now"

Otis felt his eyelids fall shut again as she uttered her final reassurance.

The little boy tensed when he heard his bedroom door click open. He turned to see the tall figure standing there, cigarette hanging off of his lip. He smelled the alcohol before he smelled the smoke. He tasted the blood in his mouth before he could fully register what happened. His father had punched him in the face and split his lip. Blows fell on him again and again. The little boy heard cracking and screamed loudly as pain exploded throughout his chest. His father grabbed his arm and put his cigarette out on his white flesh. The boy whimpered in protest, tears spilling down his face.

"Shh, shh...You're alright, Otis." Vera cooed. She had been staying with him, watching over him in case he had needed anything. He had started whimpering in his sleep. Helpless, painful sounds that tore at her heart. He was trembling, despite the pain that the movement caused.

He forced his eyes open once more to peer at the girl. He tried to force himself to speak, to no avail. He simply croaked.

She giggled in response. "Don't go trying to exhaust yourself on my account. You don't need to say anything." She lightly stroked the bare flesh on his chest. "You got goosebumps, there, Mister. You cold? Here, let me fix that!" She gently pushed him upward, eliciting a groan in response as she jarred his feverish form. Once she had settled under him, she allowed him to lie back against her, resting her arm over his chest. "Shh, now just relax. Ain't no one gonna hurt ya." Dipping a washcloth in the cool water that her mother had placed at his bedside, she gently placed it on his forehead.

He peered up at her, unsure of her motive. She giggled at him, gently stroking his hair. "Wish I could get my hair as white as yours. Sure is pretty." She noticed him blinking rapidly every time she touched his head. She sighed deeply. "Daddy said you had a rough life...But he didn't say how. Just that people hurt you..." She sighed, woefully. "You don't deserve to be hurt bad enough to make you flinch like that..."

 _If you only knew..._ he thought, the darkness brought on by the drugs overcoming him.


	3. Chapter 3

As sunshine filtered in the room, Otis was surprised to still feel another body beside him. His eyes fluttered open and explored the room.

"Wow, Mama. Look how his eyes look in the sunshine. They're red and blue and purple! Wow..."

"Oh, Vera I can't believe you stayed the night with him."

"He was whimperin' somethin' terrible last night. Must'a been havin' a bad dream."

"The drugs Grampa is giving him will do that sometimes."

"Why's he flinch like that whenever you touch him?"

Sadness overcame the older woman's face. "Somethin' terrible happened to him, babygirl. You're probably right. Probably never been loved in his entire life."

A coughing fit overtook Otis, powerful enough to turn him a shade of pink. He couldn't breathe, he felt like he was suffocating. He felt the girl pull him closer to her. He fisted her blouse, preparing to fight.

"You're alright, you're alright." Panic tore through him. The only thought crossing his mind was that she was choking him. He had to get away, quickly, before she ended him.

He flailed, struggling as hard as he could to get away from her. He felt Vera's grip tighten on him, squeezing his aching body too tightly. He groaned in pain, feeling a second pair of hands pressing the oxygen mask tighter to his face. Exhausted, he collapsed into them, gasping for air.

"Baby boy, you need to understand that we ain't gonna hurt you. You think we'd have put so much time into you if we were?"

"You're my new baby brother! We ain't gonna hurt you!" Vera smiled pulling him back against her. He struggled a bit, uncomfortable with the contact and her handling him like she was. Touch was a hard thing for Otis to accept. It had always meant pain.

"Sweetheart, are you thirsty? I'll go get you some water." The older woman left, and he could hear her footsteps down the stairs.

Vera stroked his hair. "Don't be scared. Daddy likes you. That's why he brought you here. He was plannin' on bringin' you in anyway. This just sped it up a lot. He talks about you. How good of a worker you are. He's right though, you are damn skinny. We need to get some weight on you."

The older woman came back up the stairs, glass of water in hand. Vera helped him sit up and held the glass of water to his lips. He drank greedily, parched. "Shh, shh. Slow down. You're gonna make yourself sick." She took the glass away, sitting it down on the table. "Your name's Otis, huh?"

He cleared his throat, hoping his voice would work. "Yeah..." He croaked.

"Where's your stuff, sweetie? You have to have some other things other than the clothes that were on your back."

"...not...much...Apartment."

"Your apartment? Okay, I'll send John to get it later, okay?"

Otis finally conceded to Vera's touch, enjoying her warmth against his battered body. She replaced his oxygen mask and stroked his arm. "There you go. Just go to sleep." She stroked his hair again, and he drifted into slumber.

The little boy flinched as his father slammed the door behind him. All he could do was lay and shake. He knew fighting back would do him no good, it would only make the punishment worse. He drug his hand roughly along the back of the boy's face, smiling. "Your mother trying to make you look normal again? Cuttin' all your stupid fucking white hair off. Too bad she can't do nothin' 'bout them devil eyes a' yers." He laughed, undoing the boy's jeans, letting his hands travel. "You want it, don't you?"

He could only shake his head, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Come on. Look at you. You want it. The evidence is right there." His eyes traveled to the boy's groin.

The little boy sobbed. He didn't. He hated this. But he must want it, if his body was acting like it was. He was ashamed. His body had betrayed him.

With a quick pull, there was a gag in the little boy's mouth. He whimpered in protest as his father made him crouch on his knees, bent over in front of him. "You'll be thankful for that gag in a minute, you little fucker. You'll need something to bite down on." His father made him split his legs further and bend down more, until his chest was on the ground. He shook, knowing full well what was about to happen.

The little boy screamed as it happened. It never hurt any less. He heard his father laugh viciously behind him as he cried out. Sobbing, he clawed at the bed sheets, trying desperately to get away. He felt his fathers blows fall on his back with something sharp- his belt. Again and again and again. He felt the blood run down the back of his legs.

"Shh, shh...Ow, fucker! Hey, calm down. Relax. No boogeyman's gonna getcha."

Otis was still hallucinating, the drugs pumping through his veins working on his mind. His body was slick with sweat, and he shook uncontrollably, struggling against Vera. "No...no, stop..." He moaned. "I'll be good...don't..."

"Mama! I need help!" Vera yelled, hearing her mother pounce off the bed and come running. "He's stuck in a dream, Mama. I can't get sense into him. He's real scared...He keeps telling someone to stop...said he'd be good." Vera looked genuinely concerned. She knew what his dreams were implying.

The older woman crouched in front of him, cupping his face in her hands. "Otis. Wake up sweetie. You're not there anymore. They can't hurt you." She felt hot tears soak into her hands, rolling down his cheeks.

His eyes opened, glazed over, a thousand miles away. "No..." He moaned, struggling weakly. "Daddy, no...NO! Th...that hurts!" Both women froze in horror as they realized what he was reliving.

In Otis's mind, his mother walked in on his father's horrendous act, and stood in the doorway, laughing, chanting. "Fuck the freak. Fuck the freak." The little boy curled into a ball and shook, sobbing uncontrollably. His father roughly grabbed his arms and legs, chaining him to the bed once more. He heard someone calling his name, pulling him away from the nightmare. Clarity reached him, and he saw the older woman's face inches from his own.

"There, he's around now. Hey, baby..."

"Nnn?" Otis whimpered, focusing on her.

"You're runnin' a fever again, sweetheart. You're okay. You're safe now...Wherever you were before isn't here...It's not gonna be like that, okay?"

He felt Vera rubbing circles into his back. He tensed at first, his aching muscles protesting initially, but he settled into her gentle touches, moaning in pleasure this time. He had stopped shaking, and his breathing had slowed, though still raspy with congestion. Still swooning from the medication, he muttered mindlessly, "Angel-Baby..."

Vera giggled. "That what you're gonna call me? Alright. I like that." She rubbed his shoulders until he fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Otis was jolted awake by the lack of a warm body behind him. He was somewhat relieved to have a moment to himself. It was short lived, however, as Baby walked through the door, holding a bowl of something.

"What's new, honeydew?" She smiled, chipper as always. "Mama made somethin' special. Said it would be easy on your stomach, since you don't look like you eat much.

That was a fair assumption, Otis wasn't especially keen on food. He fidgeted and winced. His back was getting stiff from lying there for so long. Baby sat down beside him on the bed and combed her fingers through his hair, grimacing as her fingers became entangled. She turned abruptly, grabbing the brush on the bedside table. "I just love your hair..." She smiled, ignoring his cringe. Every touch still sent jolts of pain through his system. Once she was satisfied with brushing his hair, she retrieved the stew, bringing it over to him once more.

He watched her hesitantly as she approached him and removed his oxygen mask. He swallowed heavily.

"What's wrong? Don't you wanna eat? Ain't you hungry?" Baby held a spoonful of liquid to his mouth. "It's just some soup with some vegetables in it...Nothin too fancy."

Reluctantly, he took the bite of soup. It tasted so good to him, warm and flavorful. Homemade. He couldn't help the thoughts rising in the back of his mind, though.

"Come on, another bite." She held another spoonful to his mouth. He looked back at her, desperately pleading her not to rush him.

She seemed to understand, dropping the spoon back into the bowl and smiling at him. "Okay. Take your time." She jabbered on, stopping every once in a while to feed him a bite of soup. He was thankful for the distraction she was providing, for both of their sake. He hated being coddled, despised it. He found it humiliating, and he had had more than his fair share of that in his life. He also hated for people to watch him eat, which she graciously avoided by looking away from him unless she was actually feeding him. "You want some more, Otis?"

He feebly shook his head. His stomach was full for the first time he could remember, and he was drowsy. She helped him drink a few sips of water, replacing the glass on the stand beside his bed. "Grampa cleaned your knife for you. It's under your pillow. Put it there so you'd feel safe." She smiled sweetly and leaned in to hug him, resting her head on his chest for a while. "I love you, little brother." Despite himself, Otis's heart fluttered. He dumbly rested his arm on her back, returning her affections in the best way he knew how. "You just rest now." She turned to leave, stopping abruptly. "Oh. I'll hold you later, okay? I got some stuff to do today. Sorry!" She continued on her way, and he dozed off.

"Maybe if you weren't such a fat fuck, I'd actually love you." The wicked woman uttered as she swatted her son once more. The little boy couldn't understand. His face was sunken in and his ribs were showing but somehow his mother considered him fat. He got such little food as it was.

But he was desperate for affection, so he began to starve himself. Hoarding food under his bed for a few days, and then eating it all on one day. He often made himself sick, but he didn't care. He was becoming thinner. Maybe he could actually gain his mother's affection. The beatings and sex continued. He held on to hope that he could wither himself away enough for his mother to love him.

"How's he doin', Eve?" Otis recognized Cutter's voice.

"I guess he's doin' better. He's more lucid than before. I...Don't really know what else to do. Grampa said his body's really taken a beating. Gonna take him a while to fully recover."

"Yeah...Damn, Eve I thought we were gonna lose him. He was so close..."

"I know...He's still so skittish...His parents must have really done a number on him for him to still be scared...Did he tell you anything else?"

Cutter paused. "Not much. Didn't tell me a whole lot. Kid doesn't talk very much. I've only known him for a few days. Damn good worker, though. And smarter'n hell."

"Oh, he's such a beautiful creature..."

"Ah, christ, Eve-"

"No, no. Not like that. I've never seen anyone that looks like him before. His hair is so beautiful and his face is so handsome...His eyes are gorgeous. He's just...so unique...Whoever could think albinos are ugly must be blind. He looks like a little angel lyin' there..."

Otis's ears perked. That was the first time he had ever heard someone say something positive about him in his entire life.

"We'll get him back, don't you worry. Then you can tell him all that shit yourself. 'Sure he'd love to hear it."

Otis felt the weight on the bed shift. He stiffened, tightly closing his eyes in preparation for a blow.

"Guess you're not comin' to work today, huh, kid?" He ventured one eye open to see Cutter sitting beside him. He forced a smile under his oxygen mask. The large man patted Otis's knee gruffly, jolting his leg and causing him to wince. "Ah, sorry, kiddo. Hey, we'll get you back on your feet, alright? Welcome to the family, Otis."


	5. Chapter 5

Baby spent most of her free time with him. She enjoyed chattering at him, and she figured he was grateful for the company.

He had been regaining his strength, but wasn't well by any means yet. He could at least sit up on his own now, and wasn't coughing nearly as much.

"You really were sick, Otis. I'm glad you're feeling better." Her eyes lit up. "Say wanna walk around the house a bit? Get you out of that bed for a while!"

He looked at her warily, unsure if he could stand for very long. "Ah...I can try..."

"Don't worry, we got a wheelchair in case you can't make it too far."

"Alright." He stood, shakily, with her help. He leaned heavily on her, arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist.

"You okay? Got yourself?" He nodded in response. "Okay. I'll show you around." She took him into a few of the rooms upstairs, jabbering about who's room it was and what they liked to do. "You're gonna feel real at home here. That room you're staying in can be yours! Mama said so."

Otis could feel himself getting weak again. Baby must have noticed, too, as she directed him back to his room and helped him to settle on his bed once more.

"You're gettin' better, Otis, but better not push yourself. You'll get back to your old self! Just gonna take some time."

As Otis recovered, he began to trust Baby more and more. She primarily took care of him, anymore, since he didn't really need expert medical attention, but rather company and little things like his pills and food.

"So, Otis...what happened to you that you're so scared?"

"Huh? I'm not scared."

"No, I mean...when you were first here, you had nightmares somethin' terrible. Always beggin' people to stop...Must'a had somethin' horrible happen to you."

His eyes narrowed. "none of your fuckin' business. If I wanted you to know, I'da told ya."

Baby sneered. "Daddy was right, you do have some venom. So why d'you flinch so much when people touch you? You got so much talk, why you act like that, then?"

Otis glared. "Fine. You wanna know? My parents beat the shit out of me. My dad fucked me. Didn't feed me, didn't love me. Didn't even fucking name me. There. Now you know." He leaned back against the wall, tilting his head back. "You gonna keep pushin' or you done?"

Baby debated between making a snide remark and comforting him. Either one was likely to piss him off even more. Her heart genuinely hurt for him. Though they were eccentric, to say the least, her mother and father both loved her very much. "Ah..."

"Yeah. That's what I thought."

"If...you ever want...to talk about...I..." It wasn't often Baby was speechless.

Otis snorted, looking away from her. "Er...Thanks...I think..."

Baby tilted her head, licking her lips. "So, ah...You ever had real sex?"

Otis narrowed his eyes. "Yes."

"Not with a dead body?"

She swore his face reddened as his eyes averted, glancing around the room. "Fuck off." He spat.

She giggled. "Do you even know how to kiss a girl, Otis?"

He glared furiously at her, his lip curling in a snarl as he opened his mouth to say something. She pushed her lips against his, shoving her tongue passed his lips almost immediately. He froze for a moment, unsure, but kissed her back aggressively. She pushed him back, pinning him to the wall. He struggled fiercely, breaking the kiss for a moment.

"Sorry, sorry. Relax. I ain't your daddy tryin' to fuck you. Just don't be so fuckin' pushy." She kissed him again, less aggressively on her part, this time. He reciprocated, letting her slide his thin frame down so that he was lying more on the bed, rather than leaning against the wall. She sucked on his bottom lip, pulling it between her teeth. She heard a low groan. "Aww, am I gettin' you all excited?" She smirked. "You're still a little too weak, I think. Give you some more time, you might just get lucky, cutie."


	6. Chapter 6

Slowly, Otis recovered.

He returned to Cutter's shop, working as he could. He ate regular meals for the first time in his life. He steadily gained weight and became healthy. His clothing became too small, and he was forced to use what little money he had to buy new clothes, or steal from his victims. While he was still pale, he had a pinker flush to his skin rather than looking gaunt.

He began to help Rufus in the garage, as well. He had an extensive knowledge of motor vehicles, and if he and Rufus couldn't fix a car, it couldn't be fixed. He actually enjoyed his life at the Firefly household. He felt at home for the first time in his existence. He was still skittish, but he was getting better at not flinching and trusting the other family members.

Baby noticed the changes in Otis, as well. She noticed how his muscles rippled under his shirts now. She noticed that he coexisted with the family more. She noticed the genuine smile on his face when he and Rufus joked. She heckled him relentlessly, and he reciprocated the irritation. She loved to watch him work on his artwork, though. Especially when he was sketching. She loved to watch his brow furrow, eraser bits flying as he bit his lip, concentrated.

Otis had worked all day with Rufus, and had retreated to his room. Baby swaggered up the stairs, smirking. She threw his door open, hearing the familiar frustrated sigh. "Baby, goddammit." He was sitting on his bed, sketch book in hand. "What?"

She sat beside him, smirk still in place. "Whatcha drawin?"

"Nothing yet. I just sat down."

"Oh..." She ran her hand along his thigh. Looking up at his face, she saw the suspicious glare. "How about drawin' me?"

"What're you up to?"

"Nothin'...Why?" She inched closer to him, moving her hand up his body, stroking along his hips and to his abdomen, then back down his leg.

His breath hitched, watching her carefully. He was unsure, she could see it written all over his face. His eyes glinted with lust and uncertainty, an uncommon combination for her.

"It's just sex, Otis. Ain't gonna change nothin'." She pushed the sketch book out of his hands, pushing him to the bed in one smooth motion. She kissed him, pushing the hair away from his face. "Relax...Have a little fun."

They undressed each other, bodies entangled and cloth flying every which way.

"Whoa! Otis you were packin' heat this whole time!" He rolled his eyes. She giggled. "Keep rollin them eyes. It ain't gonna be the last time tonight." She kissed down his body, kissing each of his scars, hands all over him. He didn't seem to know what to do. He wasn't used to actual affection. "You can touch me, you know."

"Nn..." He entangled his fingers in her hair, watching her. "Baby..."

She loved the way the new nickname sounded rolling off of his tongue. It excited her, arousing her past the point of return. She went lower, relishing in the sound of the sharp intake of breath as she reached her destination.

The sounds he made pushed her and pushed her. He fisted her hair, finally, trying desperately trying not to cry out loudly so that her mother wouldn't be suspicious.

She rose back up to kiss his neck. He tried to flip her over, but she grabbed a fist-full of his hair and tugged, wrenching his head back. His entire body stiffened as he whimpered in pain. She knew it probably brought back unpleasant memories, being handled like that, but she needed to make a point. "No, no, mother fucker. You are mine right now. I will do what I want, not the other way around."

He smirked, letting out a low chuckle. She found him so sexy in that moment. "Then do what you want with me."

She kissed his neck again, biting down hard, sucking on the pale flesh. She felt him squirm under her. "Aah, you like that?" He moaned. "You're a sick fucker. All you want is attention. You just fucking want someone to love you and not fucking hurt you." She continued, moving to his other side wrenching his head in the other direction. He moaned louder. This side was more sensitive. "You're such a fucking sad sob story. Did your daddy fuck you like I'm going to?" She saw rage cross his features, and he tried to flip her again. "I fucking said I was in charge." She licked his chest, kissing up from his collarbone.

"Stop...fucking teasing me..." He was breathless, fidgeting.

"I'll stop when I wanna stop."

The night seemed to go on and on. Neither one of them certainly minded.

Finally, she collapsed on top of him, both slick with sweat and exhausted. She laughed, rising up from the bed and sauntering over to put her clothes back on.

"Hope you find that love you're looking for But it's gonna be somewhere else. I'll fuck you when I want it, but this ain't gonna be a regular thing." She winced. "Damn. I'm gonna be sore tomorrow..."

She heard his acerbic chuckle as she slammed his door.


	7. Chapter 7

After work, Cutter invited Otis to his home for a beer and some conversation. It had taken some convincing, but Otis had eventually agreed. Cutter had ordered pizza for the two of them and had gotten a six pack and 2 handles of Southern Comfort.

They sat on his couch together, laughing about something or other.

"So, wait a minute. You and Mama Firefly were together?" Otis asked.

"Yeah...Vera's my daughter. So is R.J."

"Mm. That's interesting." Otis took another swig of the whiskey.

"What do you mean 'interesting'?"

"Huh? I just didn't know that. That's all. Didn't mean nothin'."

Cutter nodded, crushing a beer can with his hand. "So, what happened to you when you were a youngin', boy? You're skittish as all hell and Eve says she still can't touch you without you damn near comin' out of your skin. You got awful fuckin' nightmares, apparently, the way you scream and go on."

"I told you, they abused me."

"Yeah, I know that. But come on. What did they do?" Cutter liked the gory details of everything. It didn't matter what it was.

Otis sighed. He had been with the Firefly family a few months, and had been working for Cutter for longer. He knew how the older man was. "Ah...They beat me."

"Yeah? How?"

He hesitated. "Any way they wanted. Any way they could think of. Beat me with belts and their bare hands mostly...Th...They always told me I deserved it, because I fucked up their lives so much. Because I was the son of Satan, that's why I look the way I do...At least that's what they told me. They burned me, too. Always puttin' cigarettes out on me. But it was mostly punches and kicking me...My mother...liked to make me bleed."

"What did your Daddy like to do?"

Otis felt his eye twitch at the term. He hated that word, 'daddy'. He took a few large gulps of his whiskey before answering. "...He liked to fuck me." He shuddered.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah...Usually till he had me bleedin', too..." His head swooned. He had drank too much too quickly. "Then he got his friends in on it."

"Friends? How many?"

"Usually three or four. One after another. I was older, then."

"Mm. How old were you when you got away?"

Otis shrugged. "Thirteen?"

"How did you get away?"

"I was so hungry...they...They unchained me-"

"Unchained you?"

"Yeah...after I got a certain age, they kept me chained up to my bed, 'cuz they couldn't handle me. They unchained me, 'cuz I was screamin' so much...Do you know how bad your stomach hurts when you haven't eaten in two weeks?"

"Shee-it, boy..."

"Anyway, I ate and they left the fork with whatever they gave me...I stabbed them in the throat and ran away...I don't know who found them or what happened to them."

"What then?"

"I hid and ran as far away as I could. First person I killed after that, I killed because I wanted to know what they did that to me for...Why it felt so good to them and hurt me so much...It was a girl...I killed her then I fucked her until she was dead...wait...ah, fuck you know what I mean."

"Yeah. I know." Cutter laughed. "Bet you had fun with that one!"

"No. Wasn't a good one."

They continued to talk and drink, Otis eventually dozing next to the clown. He thumbed through a porno, almost too intoxicated to read the words. He was horny and desperate. He had broken up with Eve a while back, and he hadn't had any pussy since. He was getting savage.

He glanced at the boy slumbering next to him. Yeah, that'll do, he reasoned. He was drunk enough, and so was Otis. He could pretend the albino was some hot woman, especially if he couldn't see his face.

He taped the younger man's hands together at the wrist and his legs together at the ankle, and waited until he was ready to roar.

Somewhere along the line, Otis sobered up enough to realize what was going on. Just as he awoke, he felt Cutter pulling his jeans off. "W...what the fuck are you doing?"

"Shut your ass up, kid. You're gonna ruin it."

"What? Stop. Fucking stop! I'm not fuckin' jokin', Cutter! Get the fuck off of me!"

Cutter slapped Otis, shocking him into silence. "Shut the fuck up or I'll gag your ass."

"No...NO!" Otis struggled fiercely as it happened. It only drove Cutter into being more forceful.

It went on for at least an hour until Cutter collapsed on the floor beside Otis. Otis shook as Cutter stumbled away, making his way to his bedroom.

"Ahh, quit it, boy. You won't fuckin' remember, anyhow."

The next morning, when Otis awoke on the cold, hard floor, he wished Cutter had been right. But he remembered every second of it.

When Cutter approached him, he started trembling against his will. He couldn't control the reactions to people who had abused him like that. He couldn't look him in the eyes.

"I take it you remember?" Cutter sighed. "You fuckin' tell anyone, I will be so much worse than your parents ever dreamed, you hear me Whitey?" He grabbed Otis by the hair, pulling his head back to look at him. "I will tie you up to a bed and make you my pretty little bitch. You got me, you albino piece of shit?" He shoved his head away. "Go home. I gave you the day off." He glared at Otis meaningfully as the younger man scrambled out the door.

When he stepped through the door of the Firefly household, Baby was waiting for him, startling him into a scream as she jumped out at him.

She laughed. "Hey, there!" She took his chin in her fingers. He flinched back, still not used to her touching his face. "You and Daddy have fun last night?"

"Uhh...yeah...I guess so."

"What did you do?"

"Just...drank and ate and talked."

"Oh. Boring man stuff." She pulled Otis close to her, forcing him into a hug. "You goin' to work with daddy later?"

Otis shrugged. "No. Said he didn't need me today, usually slow, anyway."

"Mm...I was hopin' maybe we could spend a little time together."

He sighed. "Alright. What were y'thinkin'?"

"I dunno. I just wanna get to know you more. You don't really say much when everyone is around. Let's just go for a drive, you and me! Come on, please~?"

"Alright, alright, quitcher bitchin'. Let's go."

"Can I drive?"

"Uhhhh...Sure?" He threw the keys at her and she giggled gleefully.

It was a relatively dreary day for Texas, fortunately for Otis. As Baby drove down the windy country roads, she battered him with questions.

"Where did you grow up?"

He sighed. "Baby, I honestly couldn't tell you." He leaned his head back against the seat.

She hesitated. "Otis...I feel real bad about what happened to you as a kid."

He didn't know how to respond, so he fell silent.

"That shoulda never happened to you. I'm sorry it did. You didn't deserve all of that. You was only a kid...You didn't deserve it. And I jus' wanna hold you and tell you it's gonna be okay that you don't have to keep runnin'. But I know you'll always have to keep runnin' from them in your head." She ventured a glance at Otis, who was peering at her from under his hat. "Ain't you gonna say nothin'?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know..." A smile replaced the pained expression on her face. "Ooh! There's an ice cream stand up here! Let's stop!"

"A what?"

"Ice cream! Ain't you never had ice cream?" She pulled into the gravel parking lot outside the small storefront.

He just looked at her. He wasn't sure whether to laugh in her face or to lie and say of course he had had ice cream before. His parents weren't exactly rich, and ice cream was a luxury. Even if they did have it, he sure as hell wouldn't have gotten any. And ice cream wasn't exactly found in dumpsters or left by rich people when they walked away from a table outside. So no, he hadn't had ice cream before.

"Oh my god. I can't believe you've never had ice cream!"

"I didn't even say anything."

"No, but you're real bad at hidin' what you're thinkin'." She patted his head and exited the car, swaying toward the front seductively.

He must have dozed off, because she startled him when she tapped on his window. She had two cones of ice cream in her hands. When he rolled the window down, she handed him one. "Here."

"what? No, I-"

"Come on, just try it!" She pressed the cone against his nose, smashing the dessert in his face. He could only sigh and try to hide a smile. She threw a handful of napkins in at him and got in the driver's side. "I got you chocolate, because you like Mama's cake s'much when she makes it."

"Huh? How did you know that?"

"That's about the only thing I've ever seen you eat like a normal human being. You eat so fuckin' slow any other time. Why is that?"

Otis sighed, taking a bite of the ice cream. Goddamn that was good. "Ah...You want the long story or the short?"

"Long. We've got time."

"Alright. So...My parents didn't really feed me, hardly ever. Just enough to keep me alive so they could have some more fun with me, but I would sneak and steal food when they were asleep, and then when they would forget to feed me for a few days, I had my own stash. So, one time or another when my dad was in the middle of fuckin' me, my mom goes 'I would love you if you weren't so fat.' Well, I was so desperate for her to love me. So fuckin' desperate to be like the other kids I saw walkin' along my street, so I decided I would lose weight. I was already nothin' but skin and bones, but my mother told me I was fat. She told me I was fat, even though I was so underweight, when they broke my ribs you could actually see it through my skin. So, I lost weight. I starved myself even more. I would save food they gave me all week and eat it all in one day, and then throw it all back up. At the end of two weeks, I asked her if she loved me. Of course, she told me no...but that just...stuck with me. That she thought I was fat even though I was skin and bones. I hate eating in front of people. I don't like people to watch me eat. Food and gatherings where I'm supposed to eat make me nervous."

He ventured a glance over at Baby, who was tearing up.

"What?"

"I...I just...God, that's so fucking horrible..."

 _Hah. You wanna see horrible? I spilled my guts to your old man last night and he fucked me, too._ _Thought of him as a father figure and damn was I right in the worst kind of way._ He shrugged. "That's what happened."

He somehow implicitly trusted Baby. He had ventured out of his comfort zone and had told her things before, and they hadn't been used against him, so he ventured more and more. She had also nursed him back to health, staying with him day in and day out, taking care of him, along with Eve. Neither one had hurt him, or had even tried to. So he had begun to trust them.

"...Do you like your ice cream?" She stared at him, hope dancing in her eyes as she awaited his reaction.

"Yeah. It's good." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Baby watching him. "Don't do that. I just fuckin' told you I hate that."

"I was just wondering what else that mouth could do."

Otis choked. While he knew Baby could be crude, the remark still caught him off guard. She only giggled maniacally, taking his ice cream from him as he flailed for air.

"Aw, sweetie don't be so startled. You know I like to have fun with you."

"Goddamn, Baby. You gotta warn me when you're about to say shit like that."

"...why don't you like it when people watch you eat? Why does food make you nervous?"

That was a complete 180, he thought. "I...ah..." He sputtered, unsure of how to answer. "I just told you..."

"Otis, you're not fat. You're far from that...You know that, right?"

No, he didn't. His mother had warped that sense of perception. He just looked away and cleared his throat.

"Am I making you nervous right now?"

He nodded. He didn't mind talking about what had happened with her, but talking about how he felt and why he felt that way were a completely different story.

"Otis..." She took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. He flinched, but she compensated. She was learning him. "You're not what she said you are. You're actually really sexy." She smiled. "I like lookin' at you...You get this funny sort of look on your face when I compliment you, like you don't know what to do."

"I don't."

"You don't have to do anything. Just accept it." She planted a quick kiss on his lips. "You better not eat that so slow, you dork. That'll melt."

"Yeah, yeah."


	8. Chapter 8

Otis knew if Cutter ever found out that he and Baby had sex with the frequency that they did, he would kill him.

Maybe it was payback for what Cutter had done to him. Maybe he was just trying to finally feel loved without letting himself actually experience the emotional commitment. He didn't know. But damn it felt good. He knew she was a decent bit younger than him, but holy shit, was she good.

She knew it was probably wrong, too. Somehow. But she didn't care. Otis packed heat, and sometimes she needed a little release.

She genuinely cared about him, too. She saw the pain that he felt...He often confided in her, and bit by bit she learned more and more of the horrors he had had to face. She felt genuine remorse for him. No child should have to face what he had to.

She wandered into his room, expecting him to be drawing or sketching. Instead, he was curled up, asleep. She knew he didn't really sleep much at night most of the time. She had heard him up in the middle of the night last night, so he had probably had a bad night. He had apparently been out with R.J., as he still had his ball cap on, the bill pulled over his eyes.

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't hear him start to stir, moaning. She did hear him scream, though, that was for damn sure, as he shot upright in the bed. He looked like he had been crying in his sleep.

"Hey, you alright?" She reached out to touch him, and was shocked when he shoved her away.

"I'm fuckin' fine. Get the fuck away from me." He stood to leave.

Rage boiled in her chest. Before she could stop herself, she had grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the wall, her knee digging into his groin. He struggled against her, but she just raised her knee, and he stopped.

Tears welled in his eyes. He was pissed off and unbelievably frustrated. He hated being like this. He hated being so fucking scared all the time. He was sick of it. He was so, so fucking frustrated. Pissed at himself. It was time to grow up and get over it. But he couldn't.

"What the FUCK is your problem!?" She saw the tears trail down his face. "God, you're a fucking mess, aren't you? You hate feeling this scared. It makes you feel weak. And you hate that." He started to speak, but she choked the words from his throat. "You're not weak. You're strong. You're so strong. You had to be to get through what you did. It's okay to be scared of the things that happened to you. Don't be so ashamed...Stop trying to run from what happened to you. You'll never be able to run fast enough."

Shame. That was a good way to describe it. The shame he felt was astronomical. He just hadn't been able to put a word to it before. But it had all culminated with Cutter. Even if he hadn't threatened Otis, there would be no way that he could tell anyone, anyway. The shame was crushing. He was ashamed he had let it happened. Ashamed that he had trusted the older man. Ashamed. Of everything that had happened to him.

"You're not what happened to you, you know that, right?" She had loosened her grip on his throat and taken her knee from his groin. "You're so much more than that..." She let him go entirely.

He crumpled, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor, bringing his knees to his chest. He covered his face with his hands, sobbing openly. He didn't even know what to do anymore. He was in so much pain and so embarrassed of his past, it didn't matter how much time had passed. He wondered when he would ever get over it. If he ever would.

"Hey, it's okay." Baby sat next to him, stroking his hair. "You can only act so angry for so long. You're in so much pain. I know you are. Just let it happen...S'the only way you're gonna heal those wounds." She pulled him into her arms. "I know you're gonna be all weird about cryin' in front of me later, but you gotta let someone help you."

Eventually, he calmed, pulling away from her. He rested his forehead on his knees, sniffling.

"Must've been one hell of a nightmare..." She murmured.

He peered at her from under white locks.

"You deserve love...You know that, right?"

"Hah..." He turned away again.

"I'm serious!" She wrapped her arms around his chest, burying her face in his hair. "I love you. Mama loves you. Tiny loves you. We all do. That's what you deserve." She nuzzled into his hair. "Your hair smells nice."

He snorted. "Thanks."

"It's hidin' your face, though." She pushed his hair back, entangling her fingers and puling his head back.

"What?"

"Come on. Let's play." She smirked. She stood with him, pinning him against the wall by his throat again. Otis lowered his head submissively, wincing at the pain in his groin as she all but kneed him. She kissed him hungrily, pushing herself against him. She licked his neck, nibbling on his earlobe. He bucked against her, groaning. She kissed his neck, nibbling the pale flesh, listening to him moan and whimper in response. "God, that just drives you crazy, doesn't it?"

He just panted in response, unable to form a coherent thought.

"Aww, look at your head spinnin'." She drew him back and slammed him against the wall again.

"Do that one more fuckin' time. I dare you."

Baby smirked and slammed him against the wall, licking her lips.

He threw her onto his bed and was on top of her immediately, pinning her down with his weight. She struggled against him, trying to regain control.

"Ohhh, no no no. No fuckin' way, sweetheart. I'm gonna do to you what I wanna do to you." He tore off her blouse, tossing it aside. He kissed her up and down her torso, biting at her, leaving welts on her skin that would be purple the next day. He loved the sounds she was making. His head was starting to fog as she moaned his name, her fingers curling around his hair and digging into his back.

They were always rough when they fucked, but especially when he had control.

When she screamed and cried out his name, he couldn't handle it anymore and lost control himself. Mischief glimmered in her eyes and she flipped him over, holding him down at his shoulders.

He smirked. He knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to wear him out so she could do whatever she wanted to him, he was so tired. It wasn't gonna happen.

She kissed his throat, moving down his chest and back up to his mouth. She knew how to get to him right away. He loved the more affectionate foreplay. She let her hands wander on his torso, kissing him and grinding against him.

"Mm...F...fuck..." He groaned, breathless. "Stop fucking...teasing me...Angel-Baby..."

Another round. Another round. Baby was exhausted, and Otis lay there laughing.

"You gonna tap out or should I kick you out? You're takin' up too much space on my bed."

"Jesus christ, you're a freak."

"Don't fuckin' call me that."

"I can't do any more." She moved to stand, wincing. "God...S'like tryin' to ride a horse bareback..."

"You're welcome."


	9. Chapter 9

Cutter was shocked when he saw Otis walk through the doors of the museum. He thought he had scared the boy off.

"Hey, kid."

Otis just glared in response.

"Thought you weren't gonna come back."

"I need the money."

"Ahh. Not because I'm just s'damn charming?"

Another glare.

"Alright. Alright." Cutter raised his hands defensively, and Otis flinched. "Aw, shit not that again, boy."

"Fuck you." He spat.

Cutter smirked. "I did."

Otis's lip curled into a snarl as he began to speak, but he stopped when Cutter raised his hand to strike him, making the younger man flinch back.

"Listen, kid. I...If I could take that back, I would. I...I regret it. I do. I really do."

"I _trusted_ you."

"And y'don't anymore?"

"I told you. I told you _everything."_

"Kid-"

"I fucking trusted you. And you turn around a...and..."

"Actually, son, I turned you around."

Otis's face turned red. Cutter wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or anger.

"Look, kid. I'm sorry. Is that what you wanna hear? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I told you, if I could take that back, I would. What else do you want me to do?"

Otis just swallowed heavily and tried to move past him. Cutter reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"Kid, I said-whoa..." He saw genuine terror pass across the albino's face as he jerked away. The clown slowly lowered his hand. "Relax, boy."

Otis looked down and away, face turning red again.

"Didn't know I scared you that much."

"...Don't fucking touch me." He continued to the back of the shop to continue working on props.

Cutter let Otis depolarize for a few hours, eventually going back to pester him again.

"Can I interest you in some lunch, kid?"

"No."

"Did Eve give you somethin' to eat?"

"No."

"Ain't you hungry?"

"No."

"Boy-"

"My fucking name is Otis." He glared.

"Er...Otis...That's not gonna be how it is between us now, is it?"

He just looked at Cutter in disbelief.

"I mean...You ain't gonna hold that against me forever? I said I was sorry. How long you gonna hold a grudge?"

"Long as it takes you to fuckin' die, old man."

"Otis-"

"I SAID DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME." He stood to tower over the clown.

"Ooohhh shit..."

"I FUCKIN TRUSTED YOU. AND YOU TURNED AROUND AND DID THE SAME GODDAMN THING AS EVERYONE ELSE."

"Huh?"

"I THOUGHT OF YOU AS A FATHER. WELL I GUESS I WAS RIGHT, WASN'T I?!"

"Otis, calm down-"

"FUCK YOU!"

That was it. Cutter grabbed the spindly younger man and threw him against the wall, pinning his arms. The look of pure terror on the albino's face was priceless to him. "Listen. Calm down. Relax. I said. I'm sorry. I regret it. I should never have done that to you. I was drunk. You were drunk. Let it go."

Terror morphed to pure rage as Otis delivered a swift kick with both legs to Cutter's chest, pushing him back. He wasn't even sure how the man had gotten his legs up that high, but damn was it powerful.

"Jesus christ, you spindly mother fucker!" Cutter coughed. "Feel better, you fuck head? Goddamn that hurt!"

"Ain't nothin' but the same as my daddy." Otis gained his bearings and sat back down at his artwork.

Cutter wanted to grab the little mother fucker by the throat and beat the shit out of him, asking him if he was like his daddy now, but he knew the hell he would catch from Eve and Baby if he came home all busted up. He walked back out to the front of the shop, waiting on customers.

When Otis came back to the farm, Baby was waiting at the front door for him. He wasn't in the mood, but he humored her.

"Otis!" She grabbed him and hugged him.

"Mm. What?"

"You wanna go see a movie in town? There's one I'd really like to go see! Let's go!"

"Awright, awright." He let himself be drug by Baby to the car. She insisted on driving, which was fine by him. He didn't know where he was going, anyway.

When they got to the theater, Baby rushed ahead of him. "Now just wait a minute." He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him, paying for the tickets himself.

"Otis...That was awful nice..."

"Mm."

"You're a man of few words, aren't you?"

"I guess you could say that."

Baby rushed over to the counter and bought popcorn, and they went into the theater together. She sat, munching through popcorn throughout the movie, coaxing Otis into trying some. Through his denial, she shoved some into his mouth.

When the movie was over, skipped out, Otis in tow. "You need some new clothes."

"Huh?"

"You need. Some new. Clothes!" She poked his chest.

"Ain't got no money, Baby."

"You paid for our tickets!"

"Yeah, but I gotta have money for gas, too."

"Oh. So you have money you're jus' savin' it. I see. Why'd you go and spend that on me, then?"

Otis shrugged. "Why d'you gotta question it?"

"'Cuz I don't understand you."

"Why d'you have to?"

"You're starting to piss me off, Otis."

He chuckled. "You been helpin' me a lot lately. I appreciate it. So..." He gestured to the theater they had just exited. "There. Happy?"

She giggled. "Awww, Otis! I'm glad to be helpin' you through your stuff! See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Mmph." He rolled his eyes.

"Keep rollin' them eyes. You might find a brain back there." She smiled innocently. "Did you like the movie?"

"Huh? Yeah..."

"What's wrong?"

"Hn? Nothin'. Just thinkin'."

"'Bout what?"

"Uh...well, y'know I never saw a movie in a theater before. Used to read about it all the time as a kid. Parents beat me with newspapers an left 'em in my room, and I read 'em. Read about Groucho Marx a lot back then...An ah..." He shrugged. "I dunno. Just thinkin' about how I used to wanna go to see the movies."

"Goddamn, you got a sob story about everything?"

His eyes narrowed. "Hey, fuck you."

"I didn't mean nothin' bad. You just had such a shitty life that I feel bad. No one deserves that much sadness..."

"Mm...sorry..."

Her head whipped around. She hadn't expected to hear that. "S'alright. You're just used to havin' to defend yourself."

He shrugged. Maybe his life would start to look up now.


End file.
